Ervin Medlin Funderburk Jr.'s Obituary
Ervin Medlin Funderburk, Jr., of Albemarle--- Mr. Ervin M. “Mac” Funderburk, 82, passed away on Monday May 13th, 2024 at Trinity Place in Albemarle. Memorial services for Mr. Funderburk will be at 11 AM on Monday May 20th, 2024 at First Lutheran Church, 230 S. Second Street in Albemarle with Pastor James Laurence officiating. The family will receive friends in the First Lutheran Parish Hall following the service.
“Mac” was born in Durham, North Carolina on June 27, 1941 to the late Dr. Ervin M. Funderburk and Jewell McDaniel Funderburk. He grew up in Signal Mountain, Tennessee overlooking the Tennessee River outside of Chattanooga. “Mac” was a 1959 graduate of Chattanooga City High School, where he discovered his love for music and was an avid trumpeter in the marching band. He was a 1963 graduate of Wake Forest University and earned his Master of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1967. As you can imagine, “Mac” loved being a Demon Deacon and a Tar Heel, and he could not wait to tell you about his grandchildren becoming Tar Heels. He started his career as a social worker at John Umstead Hospital in Butner, North Carolina. In 1969, “Mac” moved to Albemarle, North Carolina where he became the first director of the Stanly County Mental Health Center, shortly thereafter serving as the Director of Piedmont Area Mental Health covering Stanly, Cabarrus and Anson Counties until 1981. He served as the CEO of three private psychiatric hospitals, CPC St. John’s River Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, CPC Atlantic Shores Hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida and CPC Cedar Spring Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. After a career spanning over thirty years in the private and public mental health sector, “Mac” relocated back to Statesville, North Carolina where he served as the Director of the Counseling Center of Iredell, a local non-profit where he found great joy in circling back to his roots as a social worker. “Mac” was an exemplary volunteer and his love for the communities in which he resided was evident by the extensive list of service he gave to so many organizations over the years. He was active in the Stanly County Jaycees, and he was an involved Rotarian having served as the President of both the Rotary Club of Greater Statesville and the Fourth Creek Rotary Club in Statesville. He was the recipient of the distinguished Paul Harris Award, an honor bestowed upon Rotary International members. Up until his relocation to Albemarle in 2021, “Mac” was an active member of First Baptist Church in Statesville where he was involved in the Homebound Ministry and the church choir. After his retirement from the Counseling Center of Iredell, he remained very active in the community, but enjoyed life at its fullest. He was an avid lover of Corvettes and loved leisurely drives in his convertible on the Blue Ridge Parkway with several North Carolina Corvette clubs. Music always remained a cornerstone in “Mac’s” life from playing his trumpet in the community concert band, to always playing the Taps bugle call to honor America’s military heroes at countless events, to singing in the choir at First Baptist Church in Statesville.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his infant son Jeffrey Medlin Funderburk, his stepmother Dora Baker Funderburk and two stepbrothers, Fred Mills and Gerald Mills. Survivors include his wife of 44 years Evelyn Edmisten Funderburk and his daughter Beth Funderburk Olivieri (Geoff) of Albemarle; two grandchildren, Gavin and Graylin Olivieri, both of Albemarle; brother, James Funderburk (Sue) of Altavista, Virginia; brother-in-law and sister-in law Harold Edmisten (Maxine) of Concord, North Carolina; nephews, Harold Edmisten (Craig) of Mill Spring, North Carolina, Derek Edmisten of Mooresville, North Carolina, Jeremy Funderburk (Natalie) of Evington, Virginia and Nathan Funderburk (Crystal) of Evington, Virginia. The family extends much love and appreciation to both Trinity Place and Tillery Compassionate Care for the unwavering support provided by countless team members over the course of the last three years. Memorial contributions may be made to Tillery Compassionate Care, 960 N. First Street, Albemarle, NC 28001, or to GHA Autism Supports, P.O. Box 2487, Albemarle, NC 28002. Stanly Funeral Home is assisting the Funderburk family and online condolences may be offered at www.stanlyfuneralhome.com.
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